The Shepherd's Savior
by thislongstoryshort
Summary: The Christmas story from the point of view of a young shepherd boy.


Shepherds Savior

It was unusually cold that night, but I begged Papa to take me with him as he went out to watch the sheep that night.

"No," he said in a tone of voice that few would have dared to argue with.

"Please!" I still begged.

Mama was drawn in by the noise.

"Oh for goodness sake, just let the boy go already," she chided, taking my side. Which was good, considering Mama's just about the only one who can change Papa's mind.

"All right boy, if your mother thinks it's so important to be a simple shepherd, then so be it," he replied gruffly.

I on the other hand was thrilled. Mama handed me my blanket and staff, which was much smaller than Papa's, and I hurried out after Papa. I had to trot along beside him, almost running to keep up with his fast walk and long stride. He walked the dirt roads to the edge of town, and from there to the fields. The air was crisp and I could see my breath, but I wasn't bothered by the cold.

My breath was soon taken away by the beauty of the fields in the moonlight. The sky was clear with no hint of a cloud in sight. You could see for miles.

We met up with my uncle and some of my cousins, and we silently began out watch. The sheep soon settled down and slept. I did get a little sleepy, but I just wrapped my blanket around me tighter and forced my eyes open. The cold also helped.

After awhile I could feel my self nodding off, but then I saw a great, heavenly figure standing before me. At first I thought I was dreaming, but I heard the exclamations of the other shepherds.

And then I was afraid. The shepherds are normally pretty tough and all, because they have to protect the sheep. What made this scary, I didn't understand, but if the shepherds were afraid, then so was I.

Then he started speaking, saying, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that wil be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

"This will be a sign to you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger."

Then I saw that the sky was filled with angels (which were what the person _had_ to be) and they started singing. The sound was so beautiful; nothing on Earth could have made it. They sang:

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom

his favor rests."

And then they left.

I was so amazed. Could it really be true? I have heard prophesies about the Savior and Messiah. I believe this must be him.

"Come, let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about," said one shepherd. The rest quickly agreed.

"Now boy, I want you to go home to your mother," Papa said gently.

"But I want to see the baby Savior, Christ the Lord too!" I pleaded.

He smiled at me warmly, "Alright, but behave."

We ran all the way into town, but I couldn't keep up with the older shepherds and Papa, so I fell behind. I slowed to a walk and felt the cold, no matter how tightly I pulled my blanket around me.

At the edge of the town there was an inn, and a little ways from the in was a stable, which was really just a smelly cave with animals in it. I went in to see if there was room for a small boy like me, maybe I could stay the night there. I went in and saw I wasn't the only one who was taking advantage of the space. There was a young couple there with a little baby boy. The woman (who looked young enough to be my older sister) smiled at me and then laid the baby in the manger for a bed. He had just fallen asleep, and was wrapped in some dirty rags.

Then it hit me. The angel said we would find the Savior wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And here was a baby wrapped in some old cloths lying in a manger.

I looked back at the couple, my eyes wide in surprise. "Is this the Savior? The Christ that the angel told us about?" I asked in a hushed voice, not wanting to wake the little Savior.

"Yes, he is," the man answered, putting an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"His name is Jesus," the woman added.

"He doesn't look much like a savior," I said doubtfully.

This made the couple laugh, and their eyes seemed to smile at me. "Well of course not, not now anyway. He's only a baby now, but he'll grow up," the woman said gently, looking lovingly at her newborn son, Jesus, the Savior. And I knew what she said was true.

I just looked at him, wanting to memorize everything about him so that one day I might be able to tell my kids about the night the Savior was born. While I watched, I noticed a faint tremor come over him every few seconds. He was shaking from the cold.

"He's cold," I said and looked up at his parents. A pained look in their eyes told me that they had also noticed this, but they could do nothing about it.

"He can have my blanket," I stated as I took it off and held it close to my chest, it was nice and warm from being around me.

They both nodded and smiled. The woman whispered, "Thank you."

I took a couple of steps closer, and then knelt by the mange. Carefully I picked up the baby in one arm, and lay the blanked down in the manger with the other. I put him back down on the blanket and wrapped it closely around him.

And then he opened his eyes and stared up at me, and he smiled, and it was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. I couldn't help but smile back.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, and looking up I saw Papa's face smiling down at me. I looked behind me, and the rest of the shepherds were standing there, watching.

"Come on, Son. Let's go home."


End file.
